Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Abstract

The first experiments in nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) which led to the observation of the resonance signal, were carried out in the United States of America, and the results were published simultaneously in 1946 by 2 groups of workers, Bloch, Hansen and Packard, and Purcell, Torrey and Pound. During the 28 yr, which have elapsed, the importance of the technique, particularly as an analytical tool, has increased exponentially. This is demonstrated by the number of laboratories making regular use of nmr spectroscopy, the explosion in the amount of work which has been published involving the use of the technique, and the developments which have been made in instrumentation. In this article, the work that has been carried out is described and the instrumentation currently in use is examined.